Beware the 4 foot level on stair stringers, always check for twist first

After 3 stair jobs in a row where my risers came out a hair off plumb, I finally realized my brand new level was actually twisted from bouncing around in the truck bed, so now I lay a straightedge across the edge before I even start marking, has anyone else had a good level go bad on them like that?

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the_nina1mo ago

My buddy had a brand new 8 foot level that he kept in the back of his van with all his tools. He swore it was fine until he framed a whole deck and every single post was leaning a little bit. Turns out the level had a slight bend in it from a ladder falling on it, you could barely see it with the naked eye. He only caught it when he put a straightedge against it and saw daylight in the middle. Now he checks every level he owns before any big job, even the ones that look perfect. That little twist will mess up your whole day and you won't even know it until it's too late.